Abstract

For research on human physiology andpathologies the most relevant results come fromhuman tissue, necessitating the creation of moretissue banks. This need is acknowledged by academics,clinical researchers and the pharmaceuticalindustry. For academics, the major obstacles toestablishing tissue banks are the somewhat cumbersomeethical procedures, a perceived lack of demandfor human tissue and insufficient knowledge aboutsupply and its demographic differences. The causesare inter-related: confusing and time-consumingethics applications cause some researchers to avoidhuman tissue work and expend research efforts onanimal studies, leading to a false presumption of alower level of demand for human tissue. Lack ofknowledge about why rates of donation are low, andwhy there are differences in donation for differentorgans, leads to an uncertainty about supply. This tooposes a problem for tissue bank establishment, andfurther research into this area is required.